Parliamentary Procedure Resources: Articles

Parliamentary Procedure Resources: Articles

In my book The Guerrilla Guide to Robert’s Rules, I point out that the symbol for the chair of a meeting is a gavel, which is a symbol of justice and fairness.  It is not a crown, which is a symbol of royalty!  The role of the chair is that of facilitator of the meeting, not dictator of the meeting.  Many times both the chair and the meeting attendees forget this.  The good news is that Robert’s did not! Robert’s is based on the democratic process and, as we all know, that means that the people ultimately decide!  Since time would not allow every decision to be made by the will of the people, the parliamentary procedure system gives the power to make rulings to the chair.  But, what if you disagree with a decision made by the chair?

In parliamentary procedure the process for disagreeing with the chair involves two motions, Point of Order, and Appeal from the Decision of the Chair.  It is the process of using one or both of these motions that keep the democratic process of decisions by the people alive and well.  It also keeps the chair humble!  Understanding the use of these two motions will assist you in appropriately handling a disagreement you might have with the ruling of the chair.  In this newsletter, I am going to focus on the first of these two motions Point of Order.  In my next newsletter, I will follow up with the second of these two motions:  Appeal from the Decision of the Chair.

Point of Order is a motion that helps us remember that leadership of the meeting is not solely the responsibility of the chair.  This motion is used when a member feels that proper decorum of debate is not being followed and the chair does not call the person to order.  It is also used when a member disagrees with the presiding officer’s decision. Some examples of its possible use are:

• During debate one member calls another member a name and the chair does nothing about it; the chair allows a motion to be made and processed that you believe is in violation of the organizations bylaws or other governing documents.
• You look around and believe that there is no longer a quorum at the meeting and the chair either has not noticed or is ignoring it.
• In the middle of a heated debate another member calls out “question” or “Previous Question” and the chair states “the question has been called, we will now go to the vote on the motion to . . .”.  You know that the Previous Question is a motion that is not debatable, but does require a two-thirds vote.
• During the vote you observe a non-member voting and the vote is close.

The Point of Order motion is classified as an Incidental Motion because it can be offered at any time when it is needed.  It can be either a secondary motion (offered while a main motion is pending) or a main motion (made when no other motion is pending). It has some special rules:

• It can even interrupt the speaker.  For example, if a member is questioning the motives of another member (which is a violation of the rules of decorum of debate) and the chair does not call the member out of order, then you don’t have to wait until the member is finished with the tirade against the other member, you can interrupt the speaker.  You simply stand and without waiting for recognition from the chair, you say Point of Order.  
• It does not need a second, is not debatable, and no vote is taken on it.
• It is ruled by the chair.

You just stood up, called out Point of Order, now what?  The chair needs to understand what your point is, so the chair should state:  “Please state your point.”  You would then state your point and explain why you believe something is out of order.  It is then the responsibility of the chair to rule on your Point of Order, either ruling that the point is well taken or that it is not well taken.

Let’s change roles and now you are in the position of the chair.  A Point of Order has been made and you are not real clear on how to rule.  You can see both sides of the issue and you believe that no matter how you rule, some of the members in the meeting will strongly disagree with you.  You now have two options.  You can make a decision and rule and realize that surely someone will take the next step in the disagreement process.  Or, you can, I think rather wisely, allow the members to make the decision in the first place. 

Here is how that would work.  After the member makes the Point of Order, you request: “Please state your point.”  After the member states his or her point, instead of making a ruling, the chair simply states:  “The chair is in doubt and will ask the assembly to decide whether . . ..  The question before you is whether . . ..”  The members then take a vote and the chair and members live with the decision of the members. 

The Point of Order motion must be made in a timely manner.  The motion must be made at the time the violation occurs, not later.  Of course, this is parliamentary procedure, so there is an exception to the timeliness rule.  If the breach is of an ongoing nature, such as a breach of the governing documents, the Point of Order can be raised at a later time.

 At the end of this article, you will find a script for the Point of Order motion.  Remember it is a motion that should be used sparingly.  If you are trying to decide whether or not to use this motion, the best rule of thumb is “Are any of the rights of the members being violated?”  If the answer is yes, then you may want to use this motion.  If the answer is no, then you want to decide another way to handle the situation.  Sometimes a private conversation, after the meeting, with the chair works very well.